


Some Plans Work

by bentnotbroken1



Series: bentnotbroken1's harringrove for australia [1]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Billy is an angsty boy, Hawkins National Laboratory, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Max is a good sister, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Rescue, Steve can't leave a man behind, Steve wins a fight, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:47:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22255918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bentnotbroken1/pseuds/bentnotbroken1
Summary: After rescuing El from a faction of scientists, still hellbent on opening gate, Steve realizes that not all of them got out.Billy really needs to stop following Max into unknown situations. He's always the one that gets hurt.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Series: bentnotbroken1's harringrove for australia [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1615483
Comments: 12
Kudos: 198
Collections: harringrove for Australia





	Some Plans Work

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ihni](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ihni/gifts).



> This one shot is a gift to Ihni from their 2k word prompt "During a situation, Billy gets left behind and thinks no one will come for him. (Because he's not in the group) " 
> 
> I went way over the word count, but it happens like that sometimes. 😊 I'm still not completely satisfied, but hopefully you like it anyways. 
> 
> Unbeta'd

The first thing Billy notices when he comes to, is that his ears are ringing. The second is that his jaw fucking aches where some dude wearing glasses and a pocket protector had hit him. He'd honestly been surprised that the science nerd had that much power behind the punch.

Not that it was much of a victory, Billy had still laid him out in the end.

Good try though.

He'd actually been able to take two of them down, and was squaring up with a third when he'd been surrounded. It wasn't the first time it's been Billy against a group, but those had been high school bully wannabee's.

Those boys didn't have intelligence on their side, _or_ anything hard enough to knock him out with one hit.

He didn't see it coming.

So, now he's slumped over in a metal chair while some scientists talk over him, and he doesn't know where the hell he is. Doesn't know how they _got here_ , because he'd been, you know, _unconscious_.

He glances around, trying to assess the situation, and notices that he's the only one they caught. Which, in the grand scheme of things is _good_ , but it also means he's _alone._

Alone in a lab of crazy people.

Which really _sucks_.

And sure, _Billy_ was the one that had stopped running. The one that had planted his feet as the white coats came around the corner. He was the one that bloodied his knuckles so Max could get away, so _Harrington_ could get away.

But…

But he didn't think it would be _so fucking easy_ for them to just _leave him_ _behind_.

Like he meant next to _nothing_.

Had they even _noticed_ that he hadn't followed them? And if they _had_ , did they even _care_? Did they even try to come back? Would they even _want_ to?

He doesn't think he wants to know the answer.

It would only hurt.

But god, his head is pounding in time with his heart as he struggles to breathe, struggles to make sense of what is happening. Comes to terms with the fact that help isn't coming.

Not for him.

_Never for him._

Billy's not worth a backwards glance. His own _mom_ left him, why would anyone _else_ stick around?

But...he's reaping what he's sown, he supposes. Karma has finally caught up with him, finally tracked him down after years of fighting people, _hurting_ people. He's been a fucking _dick_ to Max since they moved here, and a total asshole to the rest of them.

Of course they'd leave him to die.

But maybe that's fine, maybe that's how it's supposed to happen. His life hasn't exactly been a good one. It's been nothing but anger and confusion and _pain._ Maybe they're doing him a _favor._

He laughs.

Laughs because it's so fucking perfect.

He wasn't even supposed to _be_ here. He'd only gotten involved because he'd followed _Harrington_ , because he'd known his chances of finding his sister were better if he did.

Fuck.

At first he'd thought they were just fucking around, trying to tag shit or maybe vandalize something. He hadn't expected a lab full of _scientists,_ or sterile rooms with experiments, or _a little girl strapped to a fucking chair._

This was some kinda crazy sci-fi shit.

What the hell was going on in this town?

Things are slowly making sense to him as he sits there, waiting for whatever comes next. It makes sense, the night he fought Harrington, the strange things Max whispers into her walkie, the straight up creepy feeling he had rolling into Hawkins that first day.

It was _this place._

And it fucking figures.

His dad dropped them all in the middle of fucking nowhere hoping to keep Billy out of _trouble_. But he's finding more trouble _here_ , in the backwoods of Indiana, than he _ever_ did back home in Cali.

Too bad he's probably not going to live long enough to gloat about it.

And yeah, he doesn't _actually_ know if they intend to kill him, but…three guys are now manhandling him up and out of the door.

So…

It doesn't really look promising.

~

Steve is shoving the kids out of one back entrance of the lab when he feels it, like something is _off_. Like something is _missing,_ but he's already pushing through the hole the kids had made in the fence when he realizes what it is.

" _Shit_ , guys, _wait!"_

Dustin stops but the others are still hurrying towards the treeline, dragging a half conscious El with them.

"Hey!" He yells a little louder. "Stop!"

They finally do, but Mike turns around and gives him the shittiest look he's ever seen. "What's your _problem_? We need to _go."_

"Aren't we forgetting someone?"

"Hopper has his own way out." Lucas replies.

"I'm not _talking_ _about_ Hopper."

Max's eyes widen as she grips El's hand and looks past his shoulder at the ominous building behind them. " _Billy."_

Mike turns back to the trees. "No."

Dustin tries, "Mike-"

"No! No way! We are _not_ going back for that asshole." He spits, "We are doing what we came to do, what _Hopper_ told us to do. Which was getting El _the hell_ out of here."

And yeah, that's why the kids had broken into the lab like an hour ago with the help of the Chief, who had fucked with their security to get them inside. It's why Steve had rushed after them when he realized what they were doing, what the fucking _Chief_ was doing out of pure desperation.

But leaving someone behind, even if that someone was _Billy,_ even when he knows help should be coming, it just doesn't sit well with him. "Then get her out of here, but someone needs to make sure he gets out." He says, and they all know which someone he means.

"Steve." Dustin grabs his arm and Will looks torn.

Mike scowls again. "You're _not_ going back in there."

Fuck Mike. Who made him the leader of this operation?

Oh, that's right, _no one._

"I'm not _asking_ for your fucking permission, dipshit." He replies, "I'm going back for him."

"Whatever. It's _your_ _funeral!"_ Mike calls after him. "Come on guys."

Steve doesn't wait to see if any of them follow after him. He doesn't really _want_ them to, to be honest. He'd much rather them get as far away from this evil place as possible, but he hears the door open again a few moments after he closes it.

Of _course_ Henderson would follow him. He'd probably follow him into the damn Upside Down.

"Dustin, not that I don't want your help, but-"

"Not Dustin." A snarky voice answers and he turns to see Max staring back at him.

"What are you-"

She doesn't even give him time to finish. "Billy's a huge dick, ok, but he's still my brother. I have to at least _try_ to get him out of here."

He nods. "Alright, come on."

They're quiet as they go back the way they came, where they know the emergency stairs are.

After awhile she asks him, "Where do you think he is?"

He's been thinking about it for awhile. "My guess is he's on the same floor El was. I noticed before, that most of the floors we passed on our way to her were dark. I think maybe this group is only one here. Them and some security. But those guys have been busy dealing with Hopper, so they couldn't get to us."

"But it's going to be harder since we already broke in once, right? So how are we going to get him out of here?"

Steve grimaces, "I'm still trying to figure that out."

" _Steve_."

"I'm _sorry_ , ok? I'm not the best at coming up with plans."

"Obviously." She mutters.

And yeah, he kinda sucks at the whole _strategy_ thing. Every time something worked out it was a total _accident._ But at least he's _trying_.

Wait…

All the times shit worked out…

"Hey, Max?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think about setting some shit on fire?"

She smiles widely. "Let's do it."

It doesn't take them long to light some trash cans on fire and pull the alarm a floor below and the floor where they'd rescued El. It _does_ take a while for the smoke to reach the sprinkler system, though and a bit longer before they hear panicked voices and thundering footsteps.

"Holy shit. It actually _worked."_ Steve whispers as they watch smoke fill the Hall across from their hiding spot.

When they're pretty sure the floor is empty, Max gets up, "Let's go find my brother."

She takes the rooms on one side of the hall and he takes the other, opening up doors as they go, searching for Billy.

But he's almost given up hope of finding him when he reaches the last door.

He honestly expects another work station or chemist thing, but something catches his eye when he steps inside.

It's a control room of some sort, with what is probably a two sided mirror and a metal door leading into another room. He feels like this is the right place, because there's one scientist that hadn't rushed out when the alarms went off.

Why would someone stay in a random control room unless they had something or _someone_ to keep an eye on?

The guy spins around and scrambles to grab the nearby phone when he sees Steve, but Steve kicks the chair hard and it rolls sideways, taking the guy with it.

"You!" He exclaims, and Steve really doesn't have time for this.

"Me," He agrees and pulls the guy close enough to headbutt him. _Thank you, Billy._

It hurts like a bitch but he'd already known what it would feel like, so he recovers first. Recovers and hits him until he stops fighting back.

"Jesus Christ, Steve." Max pipes up from behind him. "I don't think you hit him hard enough. I think he's still alive."

He wants to reply to her smart ass comment but when he looks through the plexiglass above the guy, he loses his breath.

On the back wall of the room is..

It's… it's a fucking _doorway…_.

A doorway to the Upside Down.

And that means they already got what they wanted out of El. They hadn't gotten her out before they used her. No wonder she was unconscious. He'd just assumed she'd been drugged.

Movement catches his eye and he looks down and sees _Billy_ tied to a chair a few meters in front of it.

What the-

Max gasps "Oh _,_ my God."

Steve feels the same because, "They're trying to lure it."

This kind of just solidifies that these aren't the same guys that worked for the Owens guy. He can't imagine the man Chief Hopper described, the guy that's _supposedly_ on his way to help, allowing _this_ to happen.

Allowing these guys to tie a person up and use them as _bait_ for…for…

Steve shudders remembering the sounds the demodogs made, the way they _smelled_ , how heavy they were. He remembers rows and rows of tiny teeth, perfect for devouring flesh.

Rows of teeth that will rip into Billy like he's _nothing_.

They have to get him the fuck out of there.

~

Billy is one hundred percent done with this bullshit. As soon as he knew that they weren't going to let him go, his fight or flight instincts kicked in and he'd made an effort to do both.

He'd tried to get away from them, elbowed one in the face, kneed one in the groin, but that just pissed off some grey haired guy, who was most likely their _leader_. He'd huffed and disappeared for a minute while the rest of them attempted to shove Billy down into another metal chair.

Eventually they managed to get him down, and when the old guy returns, one of them shifts uncomfortably and looks at Billy with something like regret in his eyes. "Sir? May I ask what exactly we're doing?" The dude sounds nervous. "Shouldn't we-"

The man sighs and hands them a rope of what looked like thick wire, "We only have a few more hours to get this done and I'm not going to waste them chasing children into the woods." He says then he looks at still fighting Billy, "he'll have to do."

He'll have to _do?_

"What the fuck does that mean?" He snaps, and struggles against them as they _try_ to tie him down.

"It _means_ that since you and your little _friends_ stole the girl, we will have to improvise." And then there's a needle stabbing into the side of his neck. "Now you won't be so combative."

The effect is almost instantaneous and he goes loose in their arms.

"What… what did you do to me?"

"Just a bit of a...muscle relaxer. Can't have you trying to get away."

Billy glares as he motions for the others to leave, and then watches as he turns to follow them.

But he pauses at the door and slips a hand in his pocket. "Oh, I almost forgot." He says, smiling like a feral animal, and pulls out a scalpel.

Before he can even protest, the asshole slides it across his exposed chest and Billy hisses.

_What the fuck?_

"What was the fucking point of _that_?"

"You'll find out soon." The man replies cryptically, leaving him tied up, drugged and fucking _bleeding._

And he's even _more_ confused. He has no idea what these guys even _want._ What they could possibly want from him, what they wanted with a twelve year old _girl._

A loud grinding noise shakes him from his thoughts and he realizes the wall he's facing is actually a _door_. A door that's _opening._

He slowly starts losing his critical thinking skills as the panic sets in, as the door rises higher and exposes what is on the other side.

_Jesus Christ._

It's some kind of freaky crack in the wall. A _giant_ crack that glows an eerie red and looks like mutant spider webs are trying to keep it together. A crack that seems to _breathe._

Like it's _alive._

But that's _impossible_. Walls aren't _alive._

That's _crazy._

He's just seeing shit. Yeah, that's what this is. Whatever they shot him up with must be making him see things too. Things that aren't there. Making him hallucinate bizarre shit fit for a horror flick.

And then after awhile he hears the door open and _knows_ he's hallucinating, because there's _no way_ that Harrington would be in this room, calling his name.

But hallucination or not, Billy can't help but smirk at the approaching figure. "Hey there, pretty boy. Didn't think you were the knight in shining armor type of guy." He chokes on a laugh but stops when he feels hands on his skin, pressing against the still bleeding wound.

And...you can't _feel_ hallucinations right?

So, does that mean he's actually _here_?

That he came back for him?

No way.

"What the fuck? Why did you come back?" He really wants to know. Because he'd already given up hope…

"Seriously?" He says, pressing harder, trying to stop the bleeding. "We couldn't just _leave_ you."

" _We_?" He sees a flash of ginger hair and then another set of hands are undoing the knots. " _Max_? What are _you_ doing here?"

"Apparently saving my dumbass brother from becoming Demogorgan food." She mutters and then they're dragging him up out of the chair and slinging his arms over their shoulders to steady him.

He's never going to hear the end of this is he?

~

Billy is actually pretty heavy, but he does try to move with them, so it could be worse.

He kinda chuckles when they pass the guy Steve fought. "Holy _shit_ , Who the fuck- _?"_

Max answers, "Steve."

"Damn. Good job, Harrington. You actually won this time."

"Oh my god, shut up."

"Hey, I'm just _saying_ ," He sighs, "the dude was a fucking jerk off, so I'm glad you knocked his lights out. He's the one that fucked up my chest."

Steve can't stop the small noise he makes because he's so unnerved by it, the straight lined cut that's making Billy's blue shirt red.

Jesus. They'd really made him bleed out to attract the Demogorgan.

For a bunch of smart people, they sure are dumb. Everyone thinks they're going to be the one that can control the beast.

Until it fucking _eats_ them.

Max pulls him out of his musings "It's too quiet."

And yeah, now that he's paying attention, the alarms have been deactivated. There's no chaos. It's just…silent.

" _Okay,_ we gotta go. _Now."_

"There's no way we'll be able to take the stairs with him like this." She replies, voice on the edge of panic.

This isn't ideal, it may be the most idiotic thing he's ever suggested, but at this point they're running out of options.

"We'll just have to take the elevator."

"But-"

"I know it's dumb, ok? But it's the fastest way out of here. We might walk right into the middle of all of them in the process, but that's better than _that_ thing catching up to us."

She sounds scared when she says, "You think it'll come through?"

"I don't know." He admits and adjusts his hold on Billy. "I don't know how long he was bleeding."

The blond sighs loudly, "You guys are _really_ killing the rescue vibe, man."

Steve knows Billy has no clue what kind of danger they're all in, but it takes a lot of self control to not tell him to shut up again, or worse, let go of him.

And it feels like an _eternity_ passes before the elevator dings in front of them and they shuffle inside. He's relieved that it's still operational. He wasn't sure if it would work or not with the fire alarm and sprinkler system being activated earlier.

Lucky break.

This whole _day_ has been a lucky break.

Hopefully, they still have a bit more on their side and they get out of this alive.

"What the fuck happened _here_?" Billy asks when the elevator opens on the ground floor.

And it's not because there's a group of bad guys waiting for them. It's because there's a mess of dead and incapacitated security guards, twisted guns, and a couple scientists, all over the floor.

With a shaky El standing in the epicenter.

He's shocked to see her, but he still manages a weak, "We'll explain later," and the minute they step out of the elevator the Chief comes barreling towards her.

"What part of _don't wait for me_ do you kids not understand?"

He stops when she wobbles a bit and falls to the ground.

There's a collective gasp and then Mike runs out from where he and the others were standing by the windows. Hopper still makes it to her first.

"Hey, hey, hey, you alright, kid?" He asks her as he picks her up.

"Yeah… just tired."

"Yeah, I'd say," Dustin retorts. "You took out the whole damn security team, in like, five seconds."

"Needed...to help."

Billy groans. "Not that this isn't a great... _reunion_ , or whatever, but there's still people upstairs."

"And maybe fire." Max adds, "if they didn't put it out."

And they're right. They need to get the hell out of here.

The chief is still mumbling about stupidity and _who set a god damn fire_ when they all stumble out into the parking lot. Which is pretty hypocritical if you ask Steve. Wasn't _he_ the one that inlisted the help of a bunch of eighth graders instead of waiting for help?

It's a good thing no one asked him.

The gate is opened when they reach it and Hopper makes sure they all get through, he stares at Steve for a second when he passes them, "Mind telling me what the _hell_ happened to Hargrove? Or why was he even _there_?"

Billy holds onto Steve a little bit harder as they follow him to the cars, "Was just chasing after my sister."

Steve steps in to explain, "He helped get El out the first time, but he got captured so me and Max went back for him. And we have a big problem on our hands, Chief. They were using him as _bait_."

That makes the man's steps falter. "Did you see it?"

"No. It didn't come through… at least not that we saw. We got out as quick as possible. And I guess we have El to thank for that."

Hopper looks down at the unconscious girl. "That's why you went back, huh?"

"I would just like to point out that I was against it all from the start," Mike interjects.

Max nearly lets go of Billy's other side. "Nobody asked you, Mike."

"Ok, ok! Stop! " Hopper sounds so done. "The last thing I need is you all arguing."

"The _gate_." El says, now awake and breathing heavily in his arms, "I need. To close. The gate."

Hopper shakes his head. "Kid, the Calvary is already on its way. They'll deal with this mess until you're strong enough. Ok?"

She nods _,_ and when they reach the vehicles, the kids pile into the blazer and the back of Steve's car while he tries to shove Billy into the front.

"But, I can't leave my baby here." He whines, looking longingly at the Camaro parked on the side of the road a few meters away.

"Dude, you'd be flat on your ass if I wasn't helping you stand. You're not driving anywhere."

"If anything happens to my car-"

"I'll pay for any damages." He insists, and when Billy still looks skeptical he rolls his eyes, "Jesus, just _get in."_

He grumbles but sinks into the seat.

Surprisingly, Max and Dustin are quiet in the back seat, probably coming down from the adrenaline rush, but after awhile Billy says, "Hey, Harrington."

Steve glances over at him. "Yeah?"

"What the _fuck_ is a _Demogorgan_?"

The two in the back start talking at once, _oh shit, we're going to have to tell him aren't we? this fucking sucks, why did he have to find out? Now he'll have to be in the group. Well you're the reason he was here in the first place._

Steve just sighs and runs a hand down his face as they argue and Billy raises a brow at them.

It's going to be a long ass night.


End file.
